When a student is new to the training process, it is impossible for them to know whether or not their training is being properly documented. They are at the mercy of the instructor and institution to ensure that all training is being documented in a responsible manner. Without the TCO for accurate recordkeeping, the Part 61 schools rely on the student’s logbook or another system to document the training. By not having all maneuvers and ground curriculum literally checked off and signed by the instructor and student, then how is a student’s primary instructor, secondary instructor, or Chief Flight Instructor going to know exactly where to take the student during the next lesson? They are not going to know. The instructor will make an attempt to guess where you left off. With this guesswork comes added expense, a lot of added expense. We talk to many Private pilots that attended Part 61 schools who took their exam after having received 90 hours of flight time (60 hour average for Classic). This is a disservice to the student.
With the use of the TCO, its highly developed ground and flight lessons and its chronological log, any instructor will be able to continue the training with precision. This will produce a pilot who is trained in a cohesive manner, and it keeps the cost of the training where it should be.